Rather predictably, maybe inevitably, I come onto the
subject of rebellion against the system. Rebellion against the game players,
against red tape, and against stupidity and mindless rule followers.

I have just been reading 1984 for the first time, and I had an overwhelming
feeling that it is a story that i know already, that the principle character
Winston Smith is not a new character in my world. I have not goten half
way through the book but i already know what happens to him, not because
i know the ending of this book, not because i have seen the film, and
not because anyone has told me, but because of the realisation of the
role he has in his world.

His character pops up in liturature, film, and music many times over
and most notably in my experience in the film "Brazil" by Terry
Gilliam. If you are not aware of this film, its basically the same story
as 1984 and the main character is the same as Winston; Sam Lowry. Sam
has a perdetermined path to walk, it is a path with a known ending like
Winstons, both men are aware of their ultimate demise and rather than
change direction, they accelerate toward it. The Matrix is another example
of this same path, with Neo's character being a variance on a theme. The
detail between the three is different and across each story; the end is
either metaphorical or real, but the path is always the same.

The character that is consciously aware of what is going on around him,
who sees how other people are mindless zombies who are not aware of anything
beyond their nose, is a well definied character. While this character
does not occur in society very often, when he does people know how to
treat such an individual. Because he hates all that he sees, because he
wishes for a time long since gone, because he doesn't play the games that
they do, because he thinks for himself, because he knows right from wrong;
he is their enemy, an enemy of the state.

Am I on this same path? Am I a Winston, Sam, or Neo?

I don't think so, I don't feel that i will walk that path. I think i
could do so easily, and if i was to stay in the game i certainly would
walk it. However it is just a path within a game, I have an extra piece
of information that they didn't have, i know that it's all a game, I have
a choice to not play. I have been given a philosophy associated with not
playing any of the games that are put before me.

I feel that while Castaneda's Don Juan may be real or fictional, he represents
a very similar character to those already mentioned. However he has the
choice, he is able to stop playing. I think it was in the Matrix that
Morpheus says to Neo:

"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the
path"

There is indeed a very big difference. For the Matrix, Walking the Path
was necessary, for Neo to become the One he had to walk. For my life it
is not necessary, I can take another path, one that may yield more than
Neo saw.

In 1984; Julia almost had the right philosophy when she showed no sign
of interest in what was the past, what was the present, or what the future
should be, she got along by ducking the system. Only caring about it when
it directly touched her life. The system/Big Brother/The Matrix has aways
existed, will always exist, will always be corrupt and unjust.

This system is the backdrop to my story, it is not the content, nor is
it the end of the story.